Sunday, June 15, 2008

What The Heck?

Once again, this has been one of those weeks where I pause...and wonder...what the heck? Is it the moon? The stars? The barometric pressure? Did we lose another planet? Are my chakras in-fighting?

Not that it's been a bad week - no. Just one of those weeks where I go hmmmm, well that's interesting. For example:

- My younger dog, Marcel Verdel Purcell, smelled like cumin, CUMIN, all week long. Distracting, really, because 1) there was no reason for him to smell like cumin as I haven't used the spice recently and 2) I couldn't wait to get home every day to scoop him up and give him a whole bunch of whiffs - being the cumin lover that I am. Damn, he smelled good - as well as inexplicable.

- I drove my car with patience - and found myself thinking "who is this woman driving this car". It was an out-of-car experience, yet I was still driving. Bizarre.

- I agreed with something Bill O'Reilly said on the television. WHAT DID I JUST WRITE? Yeah, I know. I assure you, after I agreed with whatever-it-was - I slapped myself 7 times, donated to the ACLU, showered with an SOS pad, and sent Rosie O'Donnell some flowers.

- I received an anonymous text message stating "Rawh it's the boogy man and i'm gonna eat you :)" - now, personally, given how long the Boogy man has been around - I would have thought he could spell by now AND would know that "I" should be capitalized. I don't mean to split hairs, Boogy, but really - you should also check Wikipedia, where your correct spelling is listed as "Bogeyman", mmkay?

- Someone sat in my lap in a waiting room. I was minding my own business, while guessing at everyone else's, of course - and a gal walks in - walks toward me - angles her ass toward me and proceeds to sit on me. At the same moment that I suck in my breath - she realizes that the chair she chose doesn't exactly feel like a chair - so she squeals and skyrockets off of my lap. She finally whips off her sunglasses (MIGHT have been helpful EARLIER), puts her hand over her mouth in sheer horror, apologizes profusely, and slithers away. You know when someone farts and you're not supposed to laugh? That's how I felt for the next 10 minutes. Tortuous.

So, I thought we needed something reassuring to eat in the household - just to balance all the what-the-heckness. Of course, chocolate always makes our brain cells feel like the rest of the world can just go screw itself - and then couple that with the retro happiness of peanut butter frosting, and well, we're drinkin' the kool-aid of perfect happiness, if only for a just a few stolen moments.

Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting

Now, these are really about the frosting - more than anything. You want to taste the chocolate - but of course - but the real star here is the topper. I'll warn you, these are rather dangerous to keep around - because they are tasty and creamy and seductive. And, somewhere in your mind - you convince yourself that they're clearly more "healthy" because they contain peanut butter - yes, I know that game, and this little harlot of a brownie will try that number on you - I assure you. So, beware. You can use any old brownie recipe you have in your collection. If you use my brownie recipe, substitute the chocolate chips tossed in at the end of the batter for a cup or two of peanut butter chips (or, just do a plain batter, with no chips at all). Then again, some would say - "never enough chocolate" - so use the chocolate chips if you like, whatever floats your boat, right? Here is the recipe for the frosting:

In a medium bowl, combine sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt. Beat on medium low speed until creamy, making sure to scrape down the sides as needed. Add the cream and beat at high speed until mixture is creamy and light. Spread on cooled brownies.

Chocolate cures all ills. I swear -- what is up with all these chicks in their HUGE sunglasses? I feel like they all just stepped off the tennis courts in Dynasty. They look utterly ridiculous. And shoulder pads have returned. Why? Who ever thought it would be good to have the shoulders of a lineman? Is that sexy? If so, I am officially out of touch.

i commend you on your frosting-to-brownie ratio. finally, someone's gotten it right! any ol' frosting deserves to be the star of the dessert, but this peanut butter delight is particularly incredible. it makes a "what the heck" week well worth it!

As a major PB Cup fan, this is on the list. As for someone sitting on you, I laughed out loud; I must say, I'm sometimes guilty of wearing my suns as I enter a building and I cannot see for a few seconds. Luckily, I have not yet sat on another human.

I read what you wrote about the sunglasses hat -- and roared! You should have seen these girls I saw today in A.C. Moore (arts and crafts store): complete with matching extraterrestrial eye wear and side pony tails. Guess what else -- single strap tank tops with glittery platform shoes and shorts with Hollister written on the hind end. All I could think was -- wow. If only Ann were here to help me laugh at this.

Meagan - But think of the story you'd be able to tell. So, maybe just consider sitting on the human, just for the locker room story? The sunnies would be a great excuse.

Jennifer - I KNOW! BILL! It was so shocking that I can't even remember what the H I agreed with him on, maybe that the sky was blue. As for the sitting girl - who knows - maybe paint thinner?

Lacy - See? The glasses will soon encompass the entire head. And the rest of that look? Would have loved to have been a fly inside your head for those few moments - I bet the one-liners were priceless, wish I would've been there!

Diva - maybe that girly WAS trying to make a pass at me - didn't even think of that. I totally shoulda copped a feel then. :)

Morton - You just painted a GREAT picture here - I'm picturing this great guffaw echoing through this pristine, gigantic bank - and all eyes turn toward you. And you're all "Dudes, it's the loan app - back off". Guilty. Love it.

"Gentleman, I apologize sincerely for my disrputive behaviour, and I implore you to look into your hearts and find a morsel of forgiveness for a wretch such as myself.

Furthermore, I'd like to comment on the current economic situation as it pertains to our industry, and its impact on our margins.

I believe that it is in our best interest as a financial institution to make an attempt at adjusting our focus from being primarily a lending bank to instead giving our attention to gathering deposits."

...that way they forgot completely about my mishap, and instead began to think about business strategy.

Noble Pig - It'd be like "The Ring", foodie style. And with frosting, and no death. Rated PG.

Clumbsy Cookie - LOLLLLLLLLLL! Funny you say that, bc I actually took Marcel and shook him lightly over my hubby's food, just to give it some cumin essence! Hub just looked at me like I was on my last synapse, which nothing new 'round here.

Mrs. G - can't tell you how many times I look at my dogs, and they're so darn cute that I just want to eat them! As in, "I want to roast that cute little leg and just eat it!" Shut up, self.

Oh, you're too funny for my own good. (mostly because I really don't need another blog to read. These kids need a mother!)

I have been meaning to make peanut butter frosting for a while, so when I saw your pictures it was clear that today was the day. The only kind of PB they have here is almost like natural (I think) but it worked wonderfully well, just had more peanut butter taste and I had to add a bit more cream (oh, and I flubbed it up by trying to half it and then forgetting about the 1/2ing it thing on the "add the sugar" part--so it was sweeter. I didn't do double, but more than called for for sure, but it was still soooooooo good). Oh, yum! Thanks for a great recipe!